


No longer the villain in your story

by DoodlesTriesToWrite



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Self-Harm, Starvation, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:08:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29636487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoodlesTriesToWrite/pseuds/DoodlesTriesToWrite
Summary: Tommy and Dream stuck together in prison. What could possibly go wrong?A lot, suprisingly enough.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 909





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fic pog!! 
> 
> Ah yes I love c!Dream I say as I beat the shit out of him. Also like Tommy and Dream are like the worst for eachother god bless. If Dream ever gets out of prison they should get a mutual restraining order. 
> 
> And also therapy. They both need therapy.

Tommy paced around in the obsidian cell, the annoying sounds of dripping and popping filled his ears. How Dream managed to sleep comfortably in this cell was beyond him. Tommy turned to the lava again, hoping that maybe Sam would hear him this time and let him out.

"You can keep trying to call him but he won't hear you, Tommy," Dream called out from the other side of the cell. "He takes his Warden job very seriously…"

"You're lying, Sam would definitely-"

"Why would I lie, Tommy?" Dream cut him off. "I don't see a point too." Dream stared up at the ceiling watching the purple liquid drip off of the crying obsidian. "You're going to be stuck here for a while until he can get the security breach under control…"

Tommy shivered. He would be stuck here for a week with the man who traumatized him all those months ago. Who knows what Dream would do to him in that time.

"On the brightside, at least we can hang out!" Dream's said enthusiastically. "There's not much to do in here but uh… there's potatoes? You can eat them to…"

"Dream, shut up about your stupid potatoes," Tommy growled. "I'd really prefer if I wasn't stuck in a cell alone with you for a week!"

"Oh don't be like that," Dream smiled. "This can be fun! It's like Exile, remember." Tommy flinched as Dream continued, "Remember when you had a party and we messed around with the tridents that was fun, right?"

"You messed up that party…" Tommy muttered. "You messed with the invitations, Dream."

"I just wanted to spend time with you."

"Spend time with me? Are you fucking sick in the head?!" Tommy yelled, ignoring how Dream flinched as he raised his voice. "What part of isolating me from my friends and manipulating me is you just wanting to spend time with me?!"

Dream smile dropped. And then he was quiet. Too quiet. Tommy found he couldn't read the man's cold, stoney expression. It was eerie how he didn't seem to react to Tommy's outbursts, almost as if he wasn't completely present. Dream just handed him more potatoes and slumped into the corner.

"You should probably eat… they aren't very filling but it's better than starving," Dream suggested. "Food comes in periodically from the dispenser if you want more," he said pointing to the corner where the water puddle was.

Tommy groaned, plopping himself down on the side opposite to Dream. He nibbled on the potatoes to distract himself from the horrible situation he found himself in. The obsidian was rough and uncomfortable, not to mention warm and damp. There was no bed to rest on either.

"How the hell do you sleep in here?" Tommy asked. "It's so uncomfortable."

"Just fine," Dream stated plainly.

"Y'know I'm starting to think you don't sleep at all, Dream."

"..."

Tommy noticed how Dream nervously looked away, "Do you?"

"It doesn't matter," Dream responded. "What's sleep when I can't even tell the difference between day and night in this cell, anyway?"

"Uh…"

They sat in silence for a moment. The awkward tension between the two was almost strong enough to crush mountains. The constant sounds of dripping and popping were all that filled the room and it was beginning to get on Tommy's nerves.

"The noises are so annoying."

"You get used to it," Dream sighed. "I mean at least there isn't a clock ticking along with it haha…"

"What happened to your clock, anyway?"

"Oh I uh…" he cleared his throat. "Threw it away…"

"Right."

“Right…"

They sat there in complete silence again for a few minutes or maybe more. Tommy was having a harder time keeping track of time the longer he spent there. After who knows how long there was a click and the splash of potatoes falling into the water. Dream pushed himself off the ground and scooped them up, passing all of them over to Tommy.

"Aren't you going to eat some?" Tommy asked, holding all the potatoes.

"No, I'm not hungry," Dream said slouching back down into his corner. "Feel free to eat all of them, I don't mind."

Tommy eyed him suspiciously. There had to be a catch right? Maybe this was some kind of tactic to get him on Dream's side. He put down the potatoes beside him, deciding it was best not to eat them for now. Dream looked at the potatoes on the floor and sighed, "You should eat Tommy. It'll help you stay strong while you're stuck here."

"Don't think that starving yourself will make me feel any pity towards you," the blonde glared at Dream. "You can pretend you're weak all you want but it won't work, I've read Sun Tzu, Dream. I know your tactics."

Dream laughed somewhat bitterly, "Yeah… tactics."

Dream laid down on the hard obsidian, his back facing towards Tommy. Was he going to sleep? Or was this a trick in order to lure Tommy into a false sense of security?

"For my next tactic I’m going to sleep," he waved. "Goodnight."

"Oh," Tommy looked at Dream as he seemingly went to sleep. Perhaps, he should do the same. I mean might as well sleep off however long he was going to spend in this cell. He didn't feel comfortable with the fact that he was sleeping directly across from the manipulative bastard who ruined his life but… "Ugh, fine. Goodnight."

He laid down on the obsidian floor, facing away from Dream and using his arm as a pillow. His eyes drooped slightly. Tommy didn't realize how damn exhausted he was but no matter how much he adjusted his body he couldn't get into a comfortable enough position to actually sleep. The rough obsidian bit into his arms. “How the hell do you sleep on this crap?”

Dream didn't respond.

Tommy groaned, forcing his eyes shut in the hopes that slumber would soon find him. And luckily it did. He soon found himself drifting to sleep despite the circumstances. Tommy wasn't sure how long he slept but he was suddenly awoken by an acrid smell. It smelled like something burning?

He jolted up, had Dream finally done it? Dragged him into the lava while he was asleep, was this his plan? But Tommy quickly realized he was still where he laid down, instead when he looked up from his spot all he saw was Dream standing there, clutching his hand and staring at it with a blank expression.

His hand was a mess of blisters and burns, he had wisps of smoke coming off of his burnt flesh and clothes. Tommy winced at the sight. "What the fuck did you do man, now it stinks in here what the hell?"

Dream's face changed from one of neutrality to one of joy as he realized Tommy was awake, "Oh, hi Tommy!" He greeted him excitedly. "You're finally awake!" He pulled his sleeve over his hand as an obvious attempt to hide the burns, "Sorry, I was bored." There's a beat of silence "I-I'm not allowed to swim any more because it makes Awesam upset… so I..." he stops talking looking out past Tommy before snapping back. "You're awake now so it's fine. It's fine now, now that you're awake!"

"Ugh," Tommy rolled his eyes. "Another day stuck with this bastard."

"Here have some potatoes that dropped in while you were sleeping," Dream said, placing more potatoes into Tommy's inventory. Tommy eyed the stack of potatoes that he now had. Why does Dream always have so many on him if he gets them this often? Dream walked to the back of the cell and looked up at the crying obsidian dripping down "Want to play a game Tommy? After you eat?"

"No."

"Oh come on it'll be fun!" Dream poked his shoulder. "You don't have anything better to do right?" Dream begged.

Tommy crossed his arms, "Ugh, fine what game do you want to play?"

"I play this alot, Guess how many times it will drip in 1 minute"

"That's it?" Tommy raised an eyebrow at him. "No fighting each other to the death or whatever it is you do in your free time?"

"Yep! I played it last night while you were sleeping," he nodded. "It was a lot of fun."

"Wait, didn't you go to bed before me?"

Dream glanced away from Tommy "And I woke up before you."

"Okay…"

"Let's guess how many times the crying obsidian will drip in 1 minute," he quickly changed the subject. "Whoever gets it right gets all the potatoes that drop later."

"Hah, prepared to starve, Big D?" Tommy teased. Dream showed no reaction and instead continued staring up at the obsidian.

"I guess ten drops."

"Ha well I guess eleven";

They both looked up at the obsidian, counting the drops as they fell. Dream counted the seconds on his hands as they watched. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten…

"Eleven drops baby!!" Tommy yelled as the last second of the minute passed.

"Oh what?" Dream said in disbelief." I never lose that game… Well congrats, Tommy!!" He handed over more potatoes and smiled. "That was fun."

Tommy calmed down from the euphoria of winning and looked at the overabundance of potatoes in his inventory. It really wasn't that fun honestly, winning against Dream was, but the game itself was kinda… boring. He looked at Dream who went back to counting the drops again. Was this all he did in here?

"So what else do you do here?" Tommy questioned. "This can't be all there is?"

"Um… We can uhh…" Dream hesitated to answer or perhaps he couldn't think of an answer.

"Oh my god I'm going to die of boredom here," the boy despaired. "Sam!! Sam!!"

"Tommy… it's not that bad, look at least we have each other!"

"..." there was a pause followed by, "SAM!! SAM!! PLEASE COME GET ME OUT SAM!!"

Dream sighed, "Look Tommy, you're only here for a week and then you'll be free. I'm just saying it isn't as bad as it could be… at least you're not completely isolated…"

"What do you know about being isolated, prick?" He scoffed. "I don't know if you remember this but you isolated me from all my friends during Exile."

"At least I let you move around in Exile," the masked man mutters.

"Are you seriously trying to make Exile seem less fucked up by comparison?!"

"No! I'm just saying at least you could walk around and breathe fresh air!!" Dream raised his voice. "I can barely move in here, Tommy!"

"Oh that's rich! In case you forgot, the reason you're in here is because you're an evil monster who blew up a country, manipulated me and also TRIED TO KILL TUBBO!"

"And in case you forgot, you attacked the King of my faction while you were in a political position of power and when I decided to be lenient with you, YOU WAVED MY DEAD HORSE IN FRONT OF ME AND MOCKED ME!"

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP DREAM!! IF YOU THINK I DESERVED EXILE THEN YOU'RE WRONG!"

"I KNOW I WAS IN THE WRONG BUT I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET YOU TO STOP DESTROYING EVERYTHING I CARED ABOUT!!"

Tommy's fist was clenched tightly as they yelled. He wasn't sure when he decided to throw a punch, when his fist had collided with Dream's face causing him to reel back in pain. A stream of blood poured out of the masked man's nose, staining his orange shirt a dark red. Oh, he fucked up. He backed away, fearful of the man's anger.

"D-D-Dream, let's not get violent here, we can uh…" he stuttered nervously, slowly backing away from the angered man. Dream moved closer, his green eyes ice cold as he stared at Tommy. Tommy closed his eyes and braced himself for his fury but nothing happened.

"Hit me."

Tommy's eyes snapped open wide, "What?"

"Hit me again, Tommy," Dream repeated.

"W-what? No- Dream I don't-" the boy was confused and terrified. None of this made sense. Why did Dream want him to-

"DO IT!"

Tommy did what he asked and flung another punch towards Dream's face. Dream stumbled back from the hit. A smile formed on his face.

"Is that all you got, Tommy?" Dream mocked. "You can hit me harder than that right?"

"Shut up," he threw another punch at the man.

"C'mon Tommy, remember exile? Remember when I made you throw your stuff in a hole? That was so much fun. Surely you can throw a meaner right hook just for that."

"Shut up!" Tommy punched him again.

"Remember how I blew up L'manberg? Oh you must really hate me for that. Remember when I nearly killed Tubbo? It was so much fun watching you be too weak to stop it!!"

"SHUT UP!!" He poured all his anger into his last punch, knocking Dream into the wall. Tommy panted as he watched Dream slide down with his back pressed up against the obsidian. His face was beaten bloody and raw, dark bruises forming around his eyes and cheeks. Tommy expected Dream to be angry, to yell at him again, what he wasn't expecting however, was a laugh.

Dream chuckled manically as he held his broken face, assessing the damage Tommy had caused. The chilling laugh sent shivers down Tommy's spine. Dream looked up at him and smiled.

"That was a fun new game we just played, Tommy!"

-

The blonde boy nursed his sore hand, holding it close to himself as he sat at the opposite end of the small cell he now resided in, watching the lava, praying that it would open and Sam would be on the other side. Dream sat opposite to him, occasionally touching his injured face. He looked a mess. Tommy was expecting Dream to manipulate him again, to torment and gaslight him like he did in Exile. But apparently the only thing Dream could convince him to do was beat the shit out him.

It felt good in the moment to let out all his anger and frustration out on the man who ruined his life, but now it just made him feel ill. Shouldn't he feel better? Dream got what was coming to him, he deserved a good punch in the face, so why wasn't Tommy satisfied. Maybe he just needed to be out of this cell to truly appreciate the fact he just beat up Dream. Yeah, that was it.

Dream had a menacing smile on his face as he caressed his bruised cheeks. They both turned their heads when the sound of a click and splash drew their attention. The bruised man stood up, picked up the potatoes and once again handed them to Tommy.

Tommy glared at the potatoes that now rested in his hands and looked back up at Dream who returned to where he was sitting, "Why?"

Dream shrugged, "You won, remember?" Most likely referring to the strange drop counting game they played.

"Have you eaten at all the entire time I've been here?" Tommy raised an eyebrow at him. "Is this some attempt to get me to like you?"

Dream shrugged again.

"Well, it's not working."

"I expected as much…" Dream mumbled. "Well either way, I think you should eat more. Starving isn't fun."

"Are you talking from experience?" Tommy laughed.

Dream remains silent, nervously playing with his hands. His eyes are distant as he stares up at the ceiling watching the obsidian drip. Observing his face, Tommy could tell he really did a number on him. His left eye was a nasty purple with splotches of red and both his cheeks were swollen, his nose looked busted and still had dried blood underneath it. It was honestly gross to look at.

"How long until Sam comes to get me?" Tommy asked, trying to get his mind off Dream's broken face.

Dream shrugged.

"How long has it been since I've been in here?"

Dream shrugged again, "Could be hours, days, weeks. I don't know."

"Ugh, I doubt I've been in here for weeks."

"You never know, Tommy," he smirked. "I lost track of time only a few days in… and then by the time Bad visited 'wow it's been a couple weeks already? Time sure does fly.'"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Well, I hope I won't be stuck here for any longer than I need to be."

"Oh don't say that… we can play so many games together… I think the last one we played was really fun," Dream smiled, running his fingers along his black eye. "It's like you're the hero beating up the villain," he whispered low enough that Tommy couldn't make out the words.

"Do you enjoy getting beat up?" Tommy asked, closely observing the man's face.

"It's something to do," he stated plainly.

They were interrupted by a loud growl coming from Tommy's stomach. He reached for a potato, taking a bite out of the raw spud. It was horrible, honestly. Couldn't Sam at least cook these things? Dream just watched him eat the vegetable.

"I know it doesn't taste good," Dream said. "But it's better than nothing."

"Then why aren't you eating any?"

Dream shrugged, "I'm just not hungry."

Tommy continued eating his potato. His eyes trailed back to the lava. Hurry up, Sam. He wasn't sure how long he could manage to stay in this cell with Dream without having a breakdown. He groaned, deciding it was best to just lay down and sleep the hours away. The hard obsidian hurt his side as he laid facing away from Dream, hoping to catch some shut eye.

-

He was awoken by sound of something jumping in the lava. Tommy shot up, hoping it was Sam but when he looked around the cell, it was empty. The sound of a piston moving and a splash followed soon after. His head turned to the source and he saw Dream standing in the puddle. A message popped up on his communicator.

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

"I thought you weren't supposed to swim anymore?" Tommy questioned. "Wouldn't that make Sam mad?"

"Well, he's not here so…" Dream reasoned. "I just got bored while you were sleeping."

"You get bored often?"

Dream was silent.

Tommy noticed how the man seemed much more reserved the longer he stayed here. He seemed much more… distant. Like he was in a completely separate plane of existence from Tommy. It was weird seeing the side of the man who was more often than not fucking batshit insane. What was even weirder was him finding enjoyment in hurting himself.

"You really are crazy, you know that?" Tommy said.

Dream chuckled.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Tommy clenched his fist. "I just insulted you y'know?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Dream let out a breathy laugh. "Maybe I am crazy haha." Dream broke out into hysterics, "Yeah I think I've been crazy for a while now, Tommy." He laughed harder, it was not the same wheezy laugh that he had before, when they were "friends" instead it was manic, it was creepy, like Dream was having a breakdown more than he was finding entertainment in the situation. It disturbed Tommy. It sent a shiver through his entire body.

"Is it weird how every time I throw myself into the lava I wish I didn't respawn?" Dream laughed, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "It's crazy right? I mean I was put in here because it felt better than dying. But now I look at the lava wall and think it's warm embrace would be better than living here alone for the rest of eternity."

Tommy remembered looking at the pool of lava in the Nether, remembered feeling like just jumping in and letting it consume him, remembered that fate being more favorable than living the rest of his life alone. And it infuriated Tommy that Dream was trying to use those same feelings to get some pity out of him. How fucking dare he?

Tommy marched over to Dream, picking him up by the collar, ignoring how light the man felt, "Don't you dare try to get me to pity you Dream! Don't pretend like you're not some monster without feelings!! Don't pretend like you know what it's like to want to die everyday because the loneliness was much more unbearable!! You don't know shit you stupid bitch!!"

"Oh, are we playing that game again?" Dream innocently asked. "That's fine, I can play the villain again if you want Tommy and you can beat me up again."

Tommy looked at him dumbfounded, "Play the villain? What the fuck are you talking about?"

Then it hit Tommy. Dream was playing a role. He wanted to antagonize Tommy, he wanted to make him angry, to make him hate him. He wanted to be Tommy's villain. That was always what he wanted, that's why he kept calling Tommy a hero. This was just some play to him and he and Tommy were the main leads.

But now, Tommy wasn't going to give him what he wanted. He wasn't going to play into this script that Dream wrote for him in his head. He let go of Dream's shirt, dropping him to the ground.

"No, Dream. I'm not some hero and you're not the villain in my story. I'm not gonna let you walk all over me anymore. I'm done. You have no power over me anymore."

Dream stared at the ground wide eyed. Tremors racked his body as he dug his nails into his arms, "I-I'm not your villain?" His breathing became more erratic. "Tommy, you're lying right? I'm- I'm supposed to be the bad guy? I've always been the bad guy…"

"Not anymore, Dream," Tommy states sternly. "I'm not dealing with your bullshit anymore. I'm not going to let you control me. And I'm not gonna play some hero in some sick play you have going on in your head."

"B-but- I'm supposed to be the villain!" Dream yells. "If I'm not the villain then…" Dream clutches his head, "Then why the hell am I still here?"

Dream pushes himself up on shaky legs, pushing past Tommy and throwing himself into the lava. Tommy's head is drawn to the sound of a piston and a splash. Dream jumps out of the puddle and once again throws himself into the lava. This process repeats for a few minutes, spamming Tommy's communicator with multiple new alerts.

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Tommy grabbed his arm as he made another wild dash for the lava, "Dream, stop!"

Dream shook his arm off and threw himself into the lava again.

[Dream tried to swim in lava to escape TommyInnit.]

"Dream!" Tommy tackled Dream to the ground. "Stop throwing yourself in the bloody lava!!"

"Go away, Tommy!" Dream shouted. "Get out!!"

"I don't if you noticed but I fucking can't right now???"

Dream struggled out of his grasp, "GUARD!! GUARD!!"

"I thought you said Sam wouldn't-"

"GUARD, IF YOU DON'T COME RIGHT NOW I WILL KILL TOMMY!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Tommy froze. He wouldn't would he? He needed him alive right? But Tommy just declared that Dream wasn't his villain anymore so that might not be the case. Oh he might have made a huge mistake.

"I WILL BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH MY BARE HANDS IF I HAVE TO!!" Dream continued. "I WANT HIM GONE NOW!!"

Tommy stood there anxious and in fear of Dream, his anger shaking him to his very core. He prayed Sam would listen, would hear Dream's threats and save him. And it seemed his prayers were answered when the lava parts, revealing an angry looking Sam on the other side.

"Tommy, stand in the puddle in the corner," Sam called out from the other side. "Dream, step away from the visitor."

Tommy nodded slowly, moving to the corner of the puddle. Dream glared at him from across the room, "Don't ever come back, Tommy."

"Don't plan to…"

Sam pressed a button, dropping a potion of harming onto Tommy's head, killing him instantly. When he opened his eyes he was on the other side with Sam, "Are you okay Tommy?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine," he nodded. "Just a little shaken up is all."

"Don't worry about Dream," Sam comforted him. "I'll make sure he learns his lesson." Tommy could see Sam's fist tighten around his pickaxe.

"Right."

Tommy glanced back to the cell as he was leaving with Sam. He could see Dream standing there with his back turned away from them. Tommy watched as the man collapsed to his knees and curled in on himself as the lava closed, obscuring Tommy's view.

He should have been happier right? He's out of the cell a lot earlier than he should have been, he told Dream off, he even got to beat him up. This should have made him feel better right? So then why did he leave feeling so miserable?

-

Dream sat huddled in the corner. Tommy was gone. Good. He didn't want to have to see his stupid face ever again. Tommy left with all of his potatoes. It's fine though, starving is one of his favorite games after all. How long can he fight the empty gnawing feeling before he gives in? It gave him a sense of control that he oh so lacked in this hellish cell.

His eyes burned with hot tears that threatened to escape his eyes as he clenched his stomach trying to ease the pain. "Don't you dare fucking cry," he said to himself. "Monsters don't get to cry."

He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the tears to stop. Suddenly, the lava parted. Sam stood on the other side, his pickaxe held in a tight fist. Dream knew this was coming. Knew that the moment he threatened Tommy that this would be the consequence. A part of him said it was worth it. The other part feared what was coming next.

He closed his eyes as Sam made his way to the other side, bracing himself for his punishment.

.  
.  
.  
.

[Dream was slain by Awesamdude using [The Warden's Will Breaker]]


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha c!Dream's messed up boys~
> 
> Fun fact I named the file for this: I'm gonna beat the shit out of you

Tommy slept, curled up the rough obsidian. Dream faced away from, waiting for the sound of quiet snores to get up again. He lied about sleeping, mostly to get Tommy to sleep as well but also because he didn't want the boy to be concerned. He has barely slept the entire time he's been here, his eyes always staying wide opened as he stared at the black obsidian walls. On good days, he'd occasionally find himself drifting off only for him to shoot back up when his body decided it was too dangerous to fall asleep. 

Now, Tommy laid directly opposite of him. He took some comfort in the fact that he was no longer alone in this cramped cell. But a small part of his brain was terrified. He knew Tommy hated him, knew Tommy wanted this to be his last visit. He knew that after Tommy was gone he'd be left all alone again. But it was fine. It was fine. He can manage. 

Maybe this could be his opportunity to get Tommy to like him again? 

His stomach growled and he hissed at it to be quiet. He didn't want to wake Tommy up. The pain in his stomach didn't subside no matter how much he clenched it and curled in on himself trying to ease the pain. Perhaps he could- He shook his head. No. That's a quitter's attitude. 

Besides, Tommy deserved more potatoes than him. After all he'd be stuck here for a week with him and Dream understood very well how much a week in this cell could affect you. Tommy needed to keep his strength up for the following days. 

He laid there in silence for a moment, counting the constant drops from the crying obsidian. His fingernails dug into his skin as boredom was starting to set in. The hunger pains didn't distract him from the buzzing in his brain caused by a lack of stimulus. He needed to do something. 

Dream pushed himself up, sitting up against the wall. The warm obsidian was an uncomfortable heat against his back. His eyes trailed over to the lava, it's bright orange glow was welcoming him, luring him in with it's warmth. Maybe he could just- He shook his head.

He resigned himself to counting the drops that fell from the ceiling again. The periodic dripping temporarily drawing his mind away from the molten rock. Tommy was quietly snoring bringing a new sound to the usually quiet cell. A part of him wanted to wake Tommy up and talk to him but he knew the kid would just end up angry with him if he did. So he just sat and watched the purple liquid drip and drop from the ceiling, ignoring how his skin felt uncomfortable and his body did not feel like his own. 

He isn't sure how long he sat, watching the drip drip drop from the ceiling, it could've been mere minutes or it could've been hours. At some point potatoes dropped in which he collected and stored in his inventory for later. The boredom finally got to him after thirty minutes of playing his stupid counting game. Stumbling up on weak legs, he dragged himself towards the lava. It's not like he would swim in it, he just wanted to… His hand hovered close to the lava, it's scorching heat was enough to burn his hand without even touching it. Dream gulped. 

Just a little bit. It doesn't have to be his full body he can just… 

He stuck his hand into the lava. For a moment the molten liquid rolled around his hand and splashed onto the floor, before finally becoming an unbearable burning sensation. His sleeve caught on fire a bit which he put out as soon as he took his hand out of the fire. He clutched his twitching hand and stepped back. 

He let out a small laugh. The pain was much nicer than the boredom, the tingling sensation reminding him that his body was his own, that he had control. There were nasty blisters and burns that covered his hand, what a lovely sight. The smell of burning flesh and cloth filled the small cell, it was not a scent that Dream was unfamiliar with. 

Tommy was awoken by the smell, complaining about the gross odor. Dream, happy that he was awake, put on a smile and tried his best to hide his burnt hand with his sleeve. He stammers, trying to bite back the pain, as he explains why he burnt his hand  
Not that Tommy would care for the reason. 

He handed Tommy the potatoes he had acquired earlier and smiled, ignoring how the blond's questioning eyes stared up at him. Dream suggested playing his game, which Tommy initially declined but reluctantly agreed due to Dream's pestering. 

Dream explained the rules of the game, "I play this a lot! Guess how many times it will drip in 1 minute!" 

"That's it? No fighting each other to the death or whatever it is you do in your free time?"

Dream laughed, "Yep! I played this game last night while you were sleeping."

"Didn't you go to bed before me?" 

He stilled and looked away. Oh he did, didn't he? It honestly slipped his mind. He made up an excuse, "And I woke up before you." 

He quickly changed the subject, reiterating the rules of the game, "Let's guess how many times the obsidian will drip in one minute!" Dream added, "Whoever wins gets all the potatoes that drop later."

"Hah prepared to starve, Big D?" Tommy teased.

Dream ignored him, "I guess ten drops."

"Ha well I guess eleven."

They watched as the obsidian dripped, Dream counted the seconds with his hands. Occasionally, he'd glance at Tommy from the corner of his eye. They both counted the drops, each falling a few seconds apart. By the time the last second passed the tenth drop had fallen. But thankfully, Tommy didn't notice how Dream waited a few seconds longer for the eleventh. 

"Eleven drops baby!!" Tommy yelled oblivious to how Dream had rigged the game in his favor.

"Oh what?" Dream said feigning disbelief." I never lose that game… Well congrats, Tommy!!" He handed over the potatoes he had collected and smiled, pushing the thought of his hand out of his mind. "That was fun."

Tommy’s face dropped as he stared at the potatoes. He looked around the small obsidian cell, Dream recognized that look. It's the look he had in his first week in the prison. “So, what else do you do here?” Tommy questioned. “This can’t be all there is?”

“Um… we can uh…” Dream mentally went through his list of activities. Clock? No, he doesn’t have a clock anymore, he burned it and The Warden refused to give him a new one. Books? No, Tommy probably wouldn’t enjoy writing anything. Splashing? No, that’s only fun for a few seconds and being wet in this hot cell is not pleasant. Lava? No, absolutely not. He could eat more potatoes? But he probably isn’t hungry… He could spin something in his item frame? Wait no Tommy burned that...

What did he have left to do?

“Oh my god, I’m going to die of boredom here…” Tommy realized in horror. “Sam!! Sam!!”

Dream panicked, there had to be something he could say to get him to calm down. Tommy should be glad that he had someone in this cell at least? The isolation was frankly the worst part of this cell.

“Tommy… It’s not that bad…” he tried, putting on a smile. “At least we have each other!”

There was a pause. Maybe it helped?

“SAM!! SAM!!” Tommy continued yelling. “COME GET ME OUT!!”

Dream sighed. Tommy really isn’t seeing how lucky he is. Tommy may hate him but at least he wasn’t completely alone. He bit the inside of his lip as pain flared up his arm. Tommy didn't know what it felt like to be that bored. He doesn’t know how bad being in this cell could really be.

"Look Tommy, you're only here for a week and then you'll be free. I'm just saying it isn't as bad as it could be… at least you're not completely isolated…"

"What do you know about being isolated, prick?" He scoffed. "I don't know if you remember this but you isolated me from all my friends during Exile." 

Dream became irritated at that statement. Tommy got visitors everyday in exile, him included, meanwhile he was alone everyday and the only visitors he got were weeks apart. He could see things other than obsidian and lava, he could see trees and the ocean, everything that Dream missed. Compared to this, exile was merciful. “At least I let you move around in exile,” he muttered. 

"Are you seriously trying to make Exile seem less fucked up by comparison?!"

Dream’s frustration grows. He wasn’t trying to make it sound better, it just was. "No! I'm just saying at least you could walk around and breathe fresh air!!" Dream raised his voice. "I can barely move in here, Tommy!" 

"Oh that's rich! In case you forgot, the reason you're in here is because you're an evil monster who blew up a country, manipulated me and also TRIED TO KILL TUBBO!" 

Oh, if that was the game they were playing then he’d play it. He has a lot of pent up anger he’d like to get out right now. "And in case you forgot, you attacked the King of my faction while you were in a political position of power" He hated the fact that George was attacked all because of Tommy's stupid disc, all because of his stupid conflict with Dream. "and when I decided to be lenient with you, YOU WAVED MY DEAD HORSE IN FRONT OF ME AND MOCKED ME!" He gave him a chance, he gave him every opportunity to make up for his mistake, and all he got was mockery and ridicule. All he got was his cherished horse being used to hurt him. 

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP DREAM!! IF YOU THINK I DESERVED EXILE THEN YOU'RE WRONG!" 

"I KNOW I WAS IN THE WRONG BUT I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET YOU TO STOP DESTROYING EVERYTHING I CARED ABOUT!!" He just wanted to fix things, he just wanted Tommy to stop ruining everything he worked for. 

He wasn’t expecting a fist to collide with his face, knocking him back into the wall. He wasn’t expecting to feel blood run down his nose, staining his orange shirt a deep red. The pain that stung his face was one he hadn’t felt in a long time. It contrasted the searing pain from his hand and the dull pain from his stomach, it was something new, something exciting. A dark smirk formed on his face as a twisted sense of euphoria filled his mind. This was fun. 

Tommy backed away from him in fear of what he might do, he stuttered holding his hands up, "D-D-Dream, let's not get violent here, we can uh…" Dream dragged himself closer to Tommy, who closed his eyes and shielded himself with his arms.

“Hit me,” he commanded. 

Tommy's eyes snapped wide open, he looked fearful and confused. Good. It comforted him knowing that he could still get that kind of reaction out of the boy. "What?" 

"Hit me again, Tommy." 

"W-what? No- Dream I don't-" 

"DO IT!!" 

He was hit again, this time much weaker than the last. That wasn't good. He needed more force behind his punch. Tommy needed to get angrier. And luckily, Dream knew exactly what to say in order to make that happen. 

"Is that all you got, Tommy?" He smirked. "You can hit me harder than that!"

"Shut up," he threw another punch, this time with more force. 

It wasn't enough though. 

"C'mon Tommy, remember exile? Remember when I made you throw your stuff in a hole?" He laughed. This would definitely piss Tommy even more. "That was so much fun. Surely you can throw a meaner right hook just for that."

"Shut up!" And another. Now Dream was getting somewhere. 

It was exhilarating. Every punch left a burning sensation in his face and it felt amazing compared to the constant numbness he felt everyday. This is what he was good at. This is what he could control. He can make Tommy hate him. 

"Remember how I blew up L'manberg? Oh you must really hate me for that. Remember when I nearly killed Tubbo? It was so much fun watching you be too weak to stop it!!"

This was it. This is what Dream can do. He's the villain. He's always been the villain. He's Tommy's villain. And a villain is hated. A villain is hated by everyone. 

"SHUT UP!"

Tommy threw one last punch which sent Dream flying backwards into the wall. His knees gave in to the creeping weakness he suddenly felt and he slumped down to the ground. He felt the bumps and bruises now littering his face, he felt the blood that ran from his nose, he felt his left eye which was now swollen shut. And he laughed. 

He laughed quiet raspy laughs that even unnerved himself. He looked up at Tommy who looked shaken up from the experience and smiled. 

"That was a fun new game we just played, Tommy." 

-

They sat across from each other, Dream slumped up against the wall across from Tommy, a metaphorical line drawn between their two sides that neither dare cross. Dream felt his bruised face, savoring the sensation of pain he got from touching his wounds. The game was fun. It was a different feeling from starving or throwing himself into lava. It was much more exciting. 

Perhaps, it was because Tommy was here. After all games are a lot more fun when played with other people. Oh he hoped he could play that game again with Tommy. Maybe not right now, but whenever the boy is feeling the energy to. Speaking of which…

Right on cue, food dropped down into the puddle. Dream got up and collected the potatoes, dropping them all in Tommy's arms. Dream let him win the game after all and this was his reward. Tommy didn't know this but him holding the potatoes helped Dream in his own personal game. He was thankful for that. He was sure if Tommy wasn't here he'd give into the temptation much easier. 

The boy raised a questioning brow at him, "Why?"

Did Tommy forget? Oh well. He shrugged, "You won, remember?" He went back to his spot in the cell and sat back down.

"Have you eaten at all the entire time I've been here?" Tommy asked looking at his overabundance of potatoes. 

He ate potatoes when he first got here but he had to stockpile them the week before and gave into the hunger after the fact. Tommy being here was a perfect excuse to restart the game though. He ignored his question.

"Is this some attempt to get me to like you?"

Not really. He just wanted to beat his record. He shrugged in response. 

"Well it's not working."

Dream chuckled lightly before he mumbled, "I expected as much…" he was Tommy's villain after all. What kind of villain would he be if his hero liked him? "Well either way, I think you should eat more. Starving isn't fun." What kind of villain would he be if he let his hero starve to death?

"Are you talking from experience?" Tommy asked.

He looked away and fiddled with his hands. Was he crazy to find enjoyment in the uncomfortable pressure in his gut? The pain itself wasn't fun, but the feeling he got from it was. He felt…. in control. He could control when he ate, when he slept, when he burned his hands in the lava. 

"How long until Sam comes to get me?"

Dream shrugged. Hell if he knows, he can barely tell if an hour passed or not. 

"How long has it been since I left here?"

He shrugged again. It's not like he had a stupid clock to tell him the time anymore. "Could be hours, days, weeks. I don't know," he sighed. 

"Ugh, I doubt I've been in here for a week," Tommy groaned. 

He smiled to himself. Dream was the opposite on his first few days, he swore he was in there for much longer than he actually was. Maybe on the count of him not being able to sleep so he was forced to experience every hour of the day. And every hour dragged on as if they were days. Imagine his surprise when Bad showed up and told him he's only been there for a couple weeks. From his perspective it felt like months. 

"You never know Tommy," he said. "I lost track of time only a few days in… and then by the time Bad visited 'wow it's been a couple weeks already? Time sure does fly.'"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Well, I hope I won't be stuck here for any longer than I need to be."

"Oh don't say that… we can play so many games together… I think the last one we played was really fun," he ran his thin fingers over his bruised eye. "It's like you're the hero beating up the villain," he whispered to himself. 

That's what they've always been right? Dream's always been the bad to Tommy's good. So he had to make sure he played the part right. 

"Do you enjoy getting beat up?" Tommy eyed the man. 

"It's something to do." 

He was pulled out his thoughts when Tommy's stomach made a loud grumble. He watched as the boy pulled out one of the potatoes and began eating them. Oh he hoped Tommy didn't get sick from them. Dream tried to pick out the best of the bunch whenever he got new ones, keeping the sickly greenish ones to himself. He's made the mistake of eating the green ones before and it was not fun. 

"I know it doesn't taste good," Dream said. "But it's better than nothing."

"Then why aren't you eating any?"

Dream lied, "I'm just not hungry." 

Tommy continued eating his potatoes before deciding to just lay down and go to sleep. Dream stayed up, staring at Tommy who let out quiet breaths as he drifted off into slumber, leaving Dream alone with his thoughts again. 

The high he felt from their game earlier was slowly fading into a dull pain. It was not the same hot tingling sensation he felt when Tommy first hit him. That was upsetting… Once again he had found himself understimulated, bored. And when he was bored his mind began to assault him with a constant buzz of rapid fire thoughts that made his head hurt. He curled in on himself trying to block out the thoughts, but he couldn't stop how his eyes found their way to the bright lava beside him.

Wouldn't it be nice to burn again? Burn his items, his food, his body. Throw himself into the fire and let the flames consume him. The warmth of the lava reminded him of Sapnap's hugs, of George's smile, of the sunlight that touched the ever expanding world he called home. He missed them. He wanted to leave, to see them again and scream that he was sorry. Why did they leave him? Why did they hate him? 

He just wanted to protect them.

His teeth bit through his lip causing a gross iron taste to fill his mouth. He wanted to throw himself into the lava. He wanted to burn and burn and feel his flesh melt off his bones and cry. But if he did that The Warden would get mad. But the Warden isn't here… He'd be too busy dealing with the lockdown to notice, right? 

He pushed himself up, sluggishly pulling himself closer and closer to the lava. It was just one little swim, it would be fine right? And if the Warden found out he wouldn't be able to do anything until the lockdown ended. Dream felt the scorching heat of the lava against his face, causing him to sweat. He wanted to throw himself in. 

Maybe if Dream was lucky he wouldn't… 

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Tommy was awoken by the sound of Dream respawning in the water. Dream blanked as he stared at his hands. He was still here, he was still alive, he still respawned, he-

"I thought you weren't supposed to swim anymore?" Tommy questioned. "Wouldn't that make Sam mad?"

He snapped back to reality by the sound of Tommy's voice.

"Well, he's not here so…" Dream rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his eyes looking away from Tommy's judgemental gaze. "I just got bored while you were sleeping."

"You get bored often?"

Dream stayed quiet. It's not like there was much to do in this cell. Pain was much more fun than the constant boredom and numbness he felt. His nails dug into his arms. And he didn't get bored that often he had… he didn't have his clock, he didn't even have the frame it once was in, he didn't have his thank you books to remind him of the times someone actually cared to visit him, he didn't… 

"You really are crazy, you know that?" Tommy said.

Dream chuckled. 

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Tommy clenched his fist. "I just insulted you y'know?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Dream let out a breathy laugh. "Maybe I am crazy haha." Dream covered his face as he laughed maniacally, "Yeah I think I've been crazy for a while now, Tommy." 

What sane person finds enjoyment in starving themself, in throwing themself into lava? What sane person thinks hurting others was in any way okay? Maybe he's always been losing his mind. It's funny how Tommy had to be the one to point that out to him when all he really had to do was look in a mirror to see how messed up he was. 

"Is it weird how every time I throw myself into the lava I wish I didn't respawn?" Dream wiped the tears from his eyes as he laughed, or rather sobbed. "It's crazy right? I mean I was put in here because it felt better than dying. But now I look at the lava wall and think it's warm embrace would be better than living here alone for the rest of eternity."

He understood how Tommy felt when he looked down at that lava lake all those months ago. He stopped him. It wasn't his time to die, he was the hero after all. And what hero died before they could beat the villain. But now he understands just how bad loneliness could feel, he's always been ignoring it before but now he couldn't, not when the truth was staring him right in the face. He wanted to die. 

Tommy stomped over to his side, angrily grabbing him by the collar and shouting at him. Dream couldn't make out his words, they sounded muddled and distorted. It felt like they were both underwater. But he was angry. Oh that was it! He wanted to play their game again. 

"Oh, are we playing that game again?" Dream smiled innocently. "That's fine, I can play the villain again if you want Tommy and you can beat me up again."

Tommy looked confused, "Play the villain? What the fuck are you talking about?"

They stood in silence for a moment. Tommy looked lost in thought. Did he not want to play? Tommy's expression became more serious and he dropped Dream on the ground with a thud. 

"No, Dream. I'm not some hero and you're not the villain in my story," he stated, his normally loud and explosive anger now more quiet and muted. "I'm not gonna let you walk all over me anymore. I'm done. You have no power over me anymore."

What? That wasn't how it was supposed to go. His entire body shook as he stared at the ground. He was Tommy's villain, right? He had to be. That was his role. That's always been his role from the start. 

"I-I'm not your villain?" Every breath he took felt like fire in his lungs. "Tommy, you're lying right? I'm- I'm supposed to be the bad guy? I've always been the bad guy…"

"Not anymore, Dream," Tommy continued, staring Dream down with his cold blue eyes. "I'm not dealing with your bullshit anymore. I'm not going to let you control me. And I'm not gonna play some hero in some sick play you have going on in your head."

"B-but I'm supposed to be the villain!"

That's why everything he did was wrong. Because he's the villain and can't do good. He was supposed to be hated by everyone.

"If I'm not the villain then…"

Then why did everyone leave him? Why did everyone betray him? Why was he always the one in the wrong no matter how hard he tried to do good? Why did he hurt everyone? Why did he make everyone hate him? 

If he isn't the villain then…

"Then why the hell am I still here?" 

Who the hell was he if he wasn't a villain? What the hell was the point of all of this? 

He hated these feelings. He hated the emptiness he suddenly felt in his chest. It felt like his entire world was collapsing around him. He wanted to leave.

He wanted to leave.

He wanted to die.

Dream picked himself up on shaky legs and rushed past Tommy, throwing himself into the lava. He felt his skin burn, he felt the lava destroy his body but just as soon as he felt it, it stopped. And all he felt was cool water around his legs. He hated it. He just wanted the pain to stop, he wanted the numbness he felt everyday to stop, he wanted to stop feeling so damn alone. 

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Please don't wake up.

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Please.

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Please!

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

PLEASE!!

[Dream tried to swim in lava.]

Tommy tried to grab his arm to stop him but he simply shook it off and threw himself in the lava again. 

[Dream tried to swim in lava to escape TommyInnit.]

He wanted Tommy to leave. He wanted him gone. He wanted him to stop being a reminder of how fucked up he became. 

Tommy tackled him down, preventing him from throwing himself into the lava again. He struggled against his grasp, desperately trying to reach the molten liquid. 

"Dream! "Stop throwing yourself in the bloody lava!!"

"Go away, Tommy!" Dream shouted. He wanted him to leave. "Get out!!"

"I don't if you noticed but I fucking can't right now???"

Dream managed to slip out of his arms and ran up the lava and shouted, "GUARD!! GUARD!!"

"I thought you said Sam wouldn't-"

The Warden wouldn't break protocol. But Sam would. 

"GUARD, IF YOU DON'T COME RIGHT NOW I WILL KILL TOMMY!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Dream knew what people wanted, what people cared about, what people would sacrifice for the sake of another. "I WILL BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH MY BARE HANDS IF I HAVE TO!!" Dream continued. "I WANT HIM GONE NOW!!"

Sam cared about Tommy. And he knew that would trump his Warden duties. He was proven right when the lava parted revealing Sam on the other side. 

"Tommy, stand in the puddle in the corner," Sam called out from the other side. "Dream, step away from the visitor."

He glared at Tommy from across the room, "Don't ever come back, Tommy."

"Don't plan to…" the boy mumbled before being sent back to the other side via a harming potion. 

He was alone again. 

Good.

He deserved to be alone. 

His knees gave in and he collapsed to the ground, full sobs escaping his throat. What did he have left in this small obsidian cell? All he had left was the cold void that now resided in his chest. 

The Warden would punish him after he got Tommy out. Maybe if he burned himself he could take his health down enough for him to kill him. Maybe then he could… 

But it wouldn't be that easy would it? 

-

Tommy walked out of the prison. His brain felt like it was rattling in his skull as he stepped outside. The fresh air felt amazing compared to the stuffy obsidian box he was stuck in for a few days. He took a deep breath and sighed. 

He wouldn't have to see Dream anymore. That was good. He didn't need to give that bastard anymore of his attention. Still an uncomfortable feeling of guilt formed in his gut as he made his way home. Why? He wasn't sure. 

As he made his way home he got a notification on his communicator. 

.  
.  
.  
.

[Dream was slain by Awesamdude using [The Warden's Will Breaker]]

He wondered what that was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Sunny for helping me write this <3
> 
> also I have a twitter @doodles_alt


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